semi-open || cowgirls need not apply

[complementing]

WHO: Dreadful Women's Adventure Club
WHERE: Churchill Downs Riding School and Stables
WHEN: Backdated to July 9th
WHAT: July's DWAC adventure is chocobo riding! Please sign up here to join the club if you haven't already!
WARNINGS: I apologize in advance if some of these horse riding terms are wrong ahaha.

[Those bingo cards sure have gotten everyone in a tizzy! Minako has to admit that it's a surprisingly nice game, though, despite where it'd come from, and decides to move the DWAC date up by two weeks to help anyone who needs the 'chocobo race' tile filled-- including herself, of course.

Saddle up, ladies, it's time to ride.]

STABLES

[Time to pick your partner! The stable have a variety of docile sunshine yellow chocobos used for beginner riding lessons. Well, they're supposed to be docile. The stables can't help you if the one you pick decides that you're looking at it funny and starts pecking at you. Or tries bucking you off while you get into the saddle. Or just decides to be ornery in general.

Good luck?

The stable has two prized black chocobos too, the proud parents of a little baby chick that likes to somehow squeeze out of her pen and wander around the barn. Maybe you can help the stablemaster herd her back to her parents. And don't you dare think of stealing her.]

MANEGE

[The area outside the stables is wide and spacious, but not quite used to accommodating groups of riders larger than five or six. The ladies might have to take turns going out with their chocobos. But don't worry, Minako arranged for a picnic lunch to be delivered, full of 'cowgirl' foods like pulled pork sandwiches, cornbread, chili, twice baked potatoes, and peach cobbler for dessert. The little black chocobo chick is wandering around too, so anyone waiting won't stay bored.

The trainers will be out with the riders, guiding them through basic gaits and even some obstacle jumps once they get the actual stop and go part down. Did your chocobo stop being ornery? Probably not, huh. Don't be too startled when your chocobo jumps at the sight of a random but h u g e bug in the grass, and be careful of not digging too hard into your chocobo's sides, too. They don't like that very much.

Once the trainers have deemed everyone one knowledgeable enough to continue on their own, they move to a different area to keep watch over the group. Now you can ride however you'd like! Which means it's the perfect time to take care of that bingo tile, of course. Who will throw down the gauntlet first?]

Comments

OTA

[long_live_the_queen]

Stables

[Surprising even herself, Lucy hadn't needed too much coaxing to join this club. Minako was here, that was 99% of the reason she needed. She'd showed up at the stables without further prompting, too, and had been doing a good job at paying attention to the stablehands' instructions.

...and then that little chick broke loose and everything else stopped mattering so much.

The waist-height-at-the-beak bird thought having all these people chasing it was great fun, and took off running through the stables with its crest and neck feathers all fluffed out and trilling gleefully as it went.

Lucy was not so amused, particularly when she almost slipped and fell turning the corner after the thing.]

Watch the feet!

[Or catch the bird too, that would be nice.]

Manege

[Lucy normally liked animals.

This cheerfully yellow bird was doing its best to severely test her patience.

Once the trainer had finished going through the basics and was satisfied Lucy wasn't going to fall off immediately, the chocobo just...sat down. It was clearly done with work for today, and Lucy was surprisingly reluctant to actually kick it. She'd refused even the basic blunt spurs they'd offered her, even.

As the minutes dragged on she was starting to regret that decision. Her chocobo was perfectly relaxed, and calm, and resolutely not budging. It even had its eyes closed with its beak turned towards the sun.]

Would you get up?

[The chocobo didn't even so much as peep. Sunbathing was far more interesting, and the trainers were far off to the side and too busy trying not to laugh to help.

Please help.]

[mincingminuet]

[Penelope was a bit more comfortable on a chocobo than Freya's roommate, clearly.  She trotted up on the back of the big bird, leaning forward a little bit to rub it's beak.  Coming with Lucy as a way to get to know her?  Probably a good thing.  They'd just talked a couple of times briefly, and she had promised.  The club had just presented the right opportunity.]

It won't move unless you poke it.  The spurs, Lucy, just give him a little tickle and it'll get moving.

[Pen's chocobo waddles forward, head bobbing from side to side...clearly interested in a run.  If Lucy isn't gonna...]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Lucy did look up instead of slouching more, though she was sorely tempted to do more of the latter. It's one of her default settings.]

...fine.

[The teenager just tapped her heels against the bird's side at first; it didn't budge. It knew its way around beginners, particularly how to call all their bluffs.

She grit her teeth and tried again.]

Get up!

[A more forceful kick, and one that finally got through the chocobo's feathery hide. It let out a mock-offended squawk, and rocked backwards and forwards like it was deliberately trying to dump Lucy off. She lurched forwards and smacked her face into the back of its neck, but did not actually tumble over the wings.

Lucy just. Muttered something probably vile as the chocobo stood, fully awake and trilling a greeting at Pen's chocobo like it hadn't just been taking a nap in the sun.]

[mincingminuet]

[Oh. Honey. Penelope shook her head and stroked her own bird's head, ruffling a tuft of feathers on top. It -warked- happily and started trotting in a circle around Lucy's.]

May want to hold on. I think you may be in for a ride, Lucy.

[If they could only understand bird-talk, they'd both get an earful that went something like 'hey, hey slowpoke, let's run. Freak these two out a little huh? It'll be awesome.'

But alas. They cannot speak bird.]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Pen wasn't laughing at her, which was helpful. Lucy stopped muttering sooner rather than later, sitting back in the saddle like she was supposed to.]

At least it's moving-

[Her chocobo's crest flattened a bit, like a cat's ears pinning back. Who are you calling slow??

It pawed at the ground once, fluffed its wings out a bit—and tore off with only those two warnings, kicking up bits of sod and dirt as it sprinted. Lucy shouted and lurched backwards, though the back of the saddle caught her before she fell off. She pulled the reins almost straight back, but they were really more of a suggestion at this point. The chocobo had the bit in its beak, it'd stop when it felt like it. Right now it was sprinting towards the track to take a position off the rail, like it had been trained to do.]

[mincingminuet]

[Penelope's own chocobo lurched in the same manner, immediately taking off after it's 'friend' and warking happily. Pen managed to hold on a little better, since she had half expected the animal to just go without her say so. Most things did, they rarely waited for permission for a little thing like her.]

Whoa! H-Hey!

[At least they're darting for the flat track and not the obstacle course. She was pretty okay in the saddle, but she wasn't sure she could handle a jumping, bucking, charging chocobo!]

Hah! Haha!

[Nervous laughter, of course...]

[long_live_the_queen]

[It's an improvement over Lucy's stream of expletives! At this point she's given up on doing anything with the reins besides hold onto them. These saddles at least had a usable pommel, so clinging onto that helped.

The teenager's very un-aerodynamic posture wasn't helping her chocobo any, and Pen's was catching up after the abrupt head start.]

Stable

[totallynotanoni]

[ Oh crap why her why her? Its really hard to catch these things when their coming in on her-]

UMPH!

[-right.

She doesn't even have time to process the familiar voice, much less the slight image of familiar pink hair turning the corner, before the chick slams into her, throwing her to the ground as it dashes off to another part of the stables, giving a victorious sounding warm as it does so. She's left a huffing mess on the ground, trying to get back up.]

Dammit, I almost had him.

[long_live_the_queen]

[This escalated quickly.

When Lucy turned the corner she was already correcting herself to launch into a sprint, and wasn't expecting an obstacle in the way. She didn't stop in time to avoid Katherine, tripping over her entirely while Katherine was trying to stand. Lucy didn't land on her, but hit the floor further along shoulder-first while she tried (and failed) to catch herself.]

[totallynotanoni]

[ Things got crazy very quickly.

As it just so happens, the shoulder of Katherine's only arm gets a hit, Kath wincing in response but soldier through. She's dealt with pain before; a little tap shouldn't get through her too bad. The person who tripped over her, on the other hand...]

I'm very sorry, that bird got me by surprise there. [She turns around to see the girl on the floor, the rapid haze in her mind blocking any recognition. All she had was a pang of guilt and the urge to run and lend a hand. She actually starts scrambling over to the fallen girl.] Are you okay? You didn't hurt anything, did you?

[long_live_the_queen]

[Lucy had landed uncomfortably on her side, smacking her arm into the concrete and scraping her knuckles. She'd knocked some of the wind out of herself too, and it took her a moment to get up.

By then, someone was...helping her? Lucy recoiled at the touch, as she usually did—and then saw who it was.

Her face twisted into a scowl, and she started wiggling backwards as soon as she got her feet under herself.]

I'm fine.

[Her shoulder hurt and would probably bruise later. But she was fine. This was fine. As long as she could wriggle away from her sister.]

Why have all of their meetings so far revolved around someone being on the ground?

[totallynotanoni]

[Katherine's face warps into confusion, then shock upon recognizing who was in front of her.]

Oh my God, Lucy! I-I didn't see it was you.

[She reaches out again with an incredibly worried look on her face, only to stop short at the sight of .

Thats right, Lucy was exactly happy to see her. She already has some pretty good ideas on why: working in psychology made it easier to figure these things out. And honestly, she can't blame her.

And now she's gone and hurt her, dammit.

A guilty feeling rises in her chest again.]

Oh, I'm sorry. But it really does look like you hit yourself pretty hard there. [It looks like it hurt. She would know, she's hit a few sidewalks in her day.

She doesn't keep crawling forwards, hoping that her advance stopping would give her sister reason to stop moving away. Instead, she sits there next to her sister, patiently waiting for a response with bated breath.]

Gravity doesn't like them

[long_live_the_queen]

[Lucy continues shuffling backwards until she's at a more comfortable several feet away.]

I said I'm fine!

[It's her favorite lie.]

What are you doing here?

[longwei2go]

[ Yin wasn't doing too much riding today, but content with helping people out here and there whenever they just needed an extra pair of hands — yes, that meant she was out and about here today with her metal arm on. the birds didn't seem to appreciate the way it reflected the light suddenly from the shinier chrome parts, so she had borrowed a loose scrap of leather and some rope to tie over the forearm. it may look funny but it does the trick.

right now she's approaching Lucy and her uncooperative ride, looking quite amused. ] You sure told him, huh.

[long_live_the_queen]

[The chocobo makes a muffled kweh noise without opening its beak when it heard another voice. Hello! It's not getting up, but it acknowledges your presence!

The person on the bird's back isn't nearly as agreeable in saying hi.]

Shut up.

[Lucy taps her heels against the chocobo's sides again, which it ignores.

The gleam of metal caught her eye despite the arm's covering, and she awkwardly glanced away when she noticed what she was looking at.]

[longwei2go]

[ Yin appeared to think the suggestion over a moment. ] ...nah. [ then she stepped right up and held her metal hand out for the chocobo to inspect. or nuzzle. or chew on. honestly, it smelled like all manner of things like cabbage and carrots and treats from before that it might come off as a tasty snack, but at this point it's little more than an unbreakable chew toy should it try. ]

I don't see anyone else helping you with this. Figure you need a little less stick, little more carrot with this one.

[long_live_the_queen]

[It might not have the best sense of smell, but the bird could certainly smell tasty things. The chocobo's eyes promptly opened and it chirped, sticking its beak into the palm of Yin's hand to look for food there. It couldn't quite see that close and directly in front of its beak, but it smelled like treats. Where were they?

Lucy was still as much of a slouching, sulky turtle as before.]

It was behaving fine before.

[When one of its trainers and presumably a person it liked was around. And it didn't have a newbie on its back.]

[longwei2go]

What did you do different? [ Yin was playing keep-away with her one hand and then, from the side, offered up a big apple chunk she herself had lost the appetite for about halfway through. that ought to get the bird's attention. ]

You're not gonna be able to race anyone like that.

oh shit I missed this one

[long_live_the_queen]

[The bird makes a delighted sound at the apple! It stretches its neck all the way out towards the treat.]

Doing what the trainers told me to.

[Well, sort of. She knew where the brakes were, and turning right and left and how not to fall and break her wrists. But some things she forgot, like where to sit to keep her balance over jumps, or how to put her weight over the bird's legs instead of too far forwards where she risked toppling off if the chocobo stopped suddenly. That part would take practice, and she wasn't exactly practicing while her ride was taking a sun bath.]

manege

[complementing]

...that one is pretty carefree, huh.

[Minako comes trotting up on her own chocobo, in a cowgirl outfit because of course she would dress up for this-- but more than that, she's on a chocobo that's actually listening to her.

She slides off of hers and walks over to Lucy's, reaching out to pat its beak.]

Come on, buddy, don't you wanna run with Callie over here? She's itching for a race.

[long_live_the_queen]

It's not good at listening either.

[Lucy mumbles some more, but doesn't huddle her shoulders up quite so much with Minako approaching. This was fine. Her chocobo was...not being fine.

The bird trilled a bit at the touch on its beak, half opening its eyes. It'd consider it! But that was more work.]

[complementing]

[Minako snickers and continues to pat the chocobo.]

Okay, so maybe it's more stubborn than carefree then. But I think I might have a solution to that.

[She rummages through her own bird's saddlebags, extracting a sugar lump that's as large as the palm of her hand. Too big for normal horses, probably, but a good size for chocobos.]

Hey buddy~ Want this?

[long_live_the_queen]

[That does the trick of activating the chocobo! Its crest even fluffs up a little in interest as its eyes open completely. It makes an insistent trill, shoving its beak into Minako's hand.

Lucy taps its sides again with her heels, and the bird at least shifts on its folded legs. Treat first!]

[complementing]

[No. Bad chocobo. No treat first.

In fact, she's gonna try and make him work for it, holding the sugar lump just out of his reach.]

Come on, big guy, come follow me for it.

[long_live_the_queen]

[The chocobo stretched its neck out as far as physically possible to follow the sugar lump, warked when it couldn't reach, and finally stood up to trundle after it. Lucy was still in the saddle when it rocked to its feet, and had Opinions about it.]

Is that what it takes to get you to listen?

[Lucy grumbled, and the chocobo trilled without looking at her. It hear what the human said! But it was more concerned with this high value human food here.]